John 6:66 - At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
It is easy for us to think that had we been one of those in that crowd hearing His words and seeing his works, we would recognize Christ as the Son of God, but I’m not always so sure. Jesus’ words in the synagogue at Capernaum were extreme, to say the least.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." (John 6:47-58)
Taken literally these words are confusing at best, morbid at worst. But Christ clarifies later when he explains in verse 63:
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
When we live in Christ, all we are comes from the Holy Spirit. The flesh is irrelevant. Nothing we do in the physical can make us more holy or closer to God. We have to accept all that the Holy Spirit offers and give ourselves to that which Christ calls us to. We must seek that which Christ would have for us, and once we find it, it is then that we must decide: Are we a disciple or are we a deserter?
Sometimes what God calls us to may seem confusing. Sometimes it may seem too hard or all but impossible. But the question remains the same. Am I a disciple or am I a deserter?
Suffice it to say, whatever God has called us to, He will equip us to do it. It doesn’t matter if we “feel” up to the task or if we think we are capable of doing what God has asked of us. Our capabilities are irrelevant when God is the one doing the asking – our feelings are even more irrelevant. God often calls us out of our weakness so that HE gets the glory. We are simply to be obedient, and God will meet us in our obedience. His Spirit will equip us to do whatever it is He has called us to in ways we may not even consider “in our flesh.” We simply need to turn our face towards God and keep our focus solely on Him. He will guide us down the path He calls us to. Chambers says:
When God gives a vision by His Spirit through his word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision (1 John 1:7), you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind (Acts 26:19) to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ.
Whatever it is that we feel called to, we must pursue it under the bright light of the Gospel. It is when we depart from God’s word, even under the best of our human intentions, that we find ourselves in trouble. We must never abandon our service to God for service to a project – even a seemingly Godly one. Countless people have been swallowed up and disillusioned by misguided service – by service that started out firmly under the leadership of God, but eventually came to be taken over by human ambition.
As much as we are called to keep our personal intentions in line, Chambers warns us against comparing or supposing upon the intentions of others. He says:
Do not look at someone else and say – Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God.
Over the last year, I’ve have prayed regularly that God would not only reveal His plan for me, but that He would keep my motivations purely focused on bringing glory to Him. But through that, I have to admit, that I have a tendency to suppose I have some insight into the motivations of others, and THAT is as unbiblical as having impure motivations myself.
When I was growing up, there was a couple in our church, we’ll call them Ted and Sheryl, who seemed to take every opportunity to announce that they were faithful tithers and gave extra to special missions. Any time there was a meeting of members – regardless of the number in attendance or purpose of the gathering, at some point it was guaranteed that Ted would stand up and “mention” the faithfulness and volume of their sacrificial giving. I always found these announcements somewhat self-serving – a bit of “blowing their own horn” to elevate their own status amongst the members and emphasize how “holy” they were. While I was raised that tithing was important – that you always gave 10% off the top, before anything else – I never remember my parents announcing this habit to anyone in a meeting. Since those years with Ted and Sheryl, I admit that anytime I hear anyone announce that they tithe (unless it is in the context of a discussion where this revelation serves to inspire or encourage), I get a little suspicious. I immediately find myself attributing negative self-serving motivations for this disclosure. But this attribution on my part is, in and of itself, just as bad as the impure motivation I’m criticizing.
I realized that I truly have no idea what was in Ted’s mind or heart during these announcements. Perhaps he sought to encourage others in the church to do as he was doing – tithers in a congregation are often, sadly, the exception rather than the rule. Perhaps he thought that if he told people what he was doing others would be inspired – or challenged – to do the same. Regardless - even if he was seeking to make himself look good to those around him - it simply shouldn’t matter to me. His motivations, and those of any others who make similar announcements are not to be fodder for my judgments. Other people's motivations are not my concern. That is between them and God. Rather I need to focus on my own issues and shortcomings. There are plenty of “logs” in my own eye that need attention, attention that can’t be given if I’m focused on the splinters in the eyes of others.
As God brings my purpose to light, my job is simply to follow that light and seek after Him, and Him alone, through His word.
No comments:
Post a Comment